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Conversation: Jeff Koons

On the eve of a major show at the MCA, the artist reflects on the Chicago encounter that set his career in motion.

Jeff Koons became the most expensive living artist when his giant stainless-steel Hanging Heart (Magenta, Gold) sold at auction for $23.6 million in November 2007. Brash, bold, and big, Koons's oeuvre is a cornucopia of kitsch. Who could forget the life-size porcelain sculpture of Michael Jackson with his pet monkey, or the notorious series of nude images of the artist with his embattled ex-wife?